It was awkward. The tears and the apologies and the regret. She hated seeing him upset. He was back, but it didn't feel right yet. She held his hand for a moment, but the emotions got the best of her. She stood, and sniffled, and moved back towards the kitchen.

"You're probably hungry... Not sure what there is to eat though. I mean, there's cat food and ramen, haven't really shopped much... still can't do much cooking..." She rambled, gulping, and fidgetted awkwardly.

She moved away from him, and to be honest, it cut him deep. Felt like his heart had been ripped out again. It made him want to curl up and cry, but he didn't. He pushed himself to his feet. "Ramen's fine," he said quietly, grabbing a pot from the cabinet and adding water before grabbing a few packs of ramen; enough for the both of them.

He didn't know what else to do, so he just stood there. And then he got a whiff of his shirt. "...They don't wash these things at the hospital do they?" he asked, taking it off and tossing it into the living room. "Smells like something died in there..."

Moments passed, and the noodles were done, so he strained them, put them back in the pot, mixed in the seasoning, and made himself a heaping plate. Sitting at the table, he looked at her. "I...I still feel like I failed you somehow," he finally murmured, looking away.

And just like that, he took over cooking. Tossed his shirt into the living room and settled back into routine. Maybe pulling away from him broke his heart, but seeing him back, as if nothing happened, brok hers. She was pretty sure the bullet was lodged in her heart now. It was the only way to explain the sharp and sudden pain she was feeling. Relief was there, but also pain. She didn't know what to do, how to act. It felt like she was learning all over again.

His remark caught her off guard, and she poked at her small plate of noodles, not feeling particularly hungry. "You didn't. I understood. I just...I've been alone. It's been three months, just me and mischief. Maybe it didn't feel as long for you but... I just..." She felt awkward. Caught somewhere between pushing everyone away again and the progress they'd made before all this.

Ty stopped eating, listening as she explained. He wished he knew how she felt, but he didn't. To him it was easy to settle into the same old routine, because to him, it didn't feel at all like he had been in a coma.

He sighed, looking at her long and hard. "It didn't. To me, it was just like any other time I went to sleep. I just woke up and was informed three months had passed. I know that much time has passed, but...it feels as though I never left. Sure, I'm still weak as all get out, and it feels weird, but...it's confusing. I mean, it feels like a day went by, but Mischief's grown up, and you're obviously hurt over my absence. It's alot to wrap my brain around. In my mind, it seems like life just goes on, business as usual. But I know that's not how it's supposed to be."

He looked into her eyes, studying her face as if the answer to make everything better lay in there somehow.

Tses looked back at him, then looked down, spinning her noodles with her fork. She sighed. She was trying to understand, but her emotions were too out of sorts to make much sense.

"Just...give it a little time. And don't take it personal. You're okay, and that's great, and I am happy. I'm sorry." She poked the noodles again then forced herself to take a bite. She jabbed her spoon at the t.v. "I uh, found you something, while I was working..." She added quietly. While picking up stolen goods, somehow a DVD set or two ended up in the mix. It was clear she remembered one of his favorite T.V. shows by the Leverage box set sitting next to the television and DVD player.

"I'm trying to, and at the same time I'm trying not to take it personally," he said softly. "Why is it every time we make progress, something happens out of our control to push it back? Sometimes it seems like whoever's out there hates us." He wasn't frantic or angry when he spoke, just...wondering.

He smiled when she pointed out what she 'found.' He knew full well it meant she stole it, but that tugged at his heartstrings even more. After finishing his noodles, he stood up, putting his plate in the sink and headed to the living room. As he passed her, he put his arms around her in a quick side-hug, kissing her on the cheek. "You're the best," he whispered before letting go and making his way back to the living room and lying on the couch.

Tses considered his question seriously for a few moment, before finally shaking her head. "Maybe it's karma? We don't exactly hang on out on the more commendable side of the law..." She remarked quietly.

Her cheek flushed from the kiss, and she finished her noodles before setting it in the sink and following him back to the couch. "Move over." She said, and once he did she plopped down next to him.

Ty gave a bit of a chuckle. "Karma, right...I mean, sure we aren't exactly law abiding citizens, but we don't exactly go around kicking puppies as an extra-curricular activity either." He slid over to accommodate her, admittedly enjoying the view. Hey, she still hadn't put a shirt on, so why not?

He popped a DVD into the player and turned the TV on as Mischief snuggled onto the back of the couch, behind the couple's heads. "You know...our relationship is messed up. It's nothing fancy, and to most it doesn't even make sense. But it's ours..." he said quietly.

Tses nested into the couch, pulling up her legs and pressing her back into the cushions. Without her shirt, the recent injury and a number of other ones were easy to see. At least they had come far enough in their relationship she didn't feel as uncomfortable with the sight of her own skin, scarred as it was. The new cuts and bruises went from one arm to the other, from picking fights to dodging police. She fiddled with her gloves and hugged her knees to her chest, shrugging at Ty's remark

"Can't be a normal relationship with me in it. Heck, not sure it can be normal with you in it." She commented as the t.v. turned on. She felt exhausted suddenly after all the running from earlier, and for the first time in three months, relaxed. Ty was back, he could help. She wouldn't have to scramble to steal enough to survive on now...Somehow, that took a heavy weight off her shoulders she wasn't aware she was carrying.

Ty lay on his side, resting his head on the arm of the couch and leaving his feet planted on the floor. The kitten above gave a lazy yawn as she curled up in her spot, relaxing for probably the first time in months.

At Tses's remark, he gave a laugh of his own. "True...very true," he replied, brushing his red hair out of his face. It was only now that he realized how much his hair had grown, and the facial hair he was now sporting was quite scruffy.

Between noticing his own appearance, and admiring hers for the first time in ages, he really wasn't paying much attention to the T.V. But then again...it didn't really matter. What mattered was that things were back to normal. Well...as normal as they could be, all things considered.

As the t.v. played, Tses felt her eyelids droop, and after a bit she found herself curled against Ty, eyes shut, asleep. She could hear the show playing, hear Ty breathing, and despite her fears, she let herself relax, and feel safe again.

Maybe it could be normal once again.

He had to admit, after awhile the TV caught his attention, but the next thing he knew, she was curled up against him. Instinctively, his arms wrapped around her, holding her close as he felt her drift to sleep.

His hands moved along her skin just as they used to, and his own eyes closed. Things seemed, once again, to be as they should be. He didn't go to sleep right away, he was just taking in all of the senses, the sounds, the feeling of holding her close.

"I love you..."

TINK!

Tink tink tink...

What was that? The sound of something falling from a shelf? Perhaps someone had placed it too close to the counter. Things did have a way of giving in to gravity over time, every person of a respectable age recalled at least one time in which something fell when it seemed the least bit provoked to do so... So that had to be it. Right?

Right, about that.

If one were to, say, take a glance into the kitchen. They might possible see a giant cockroach eyeing a dropped jar of expired pickles.

Tses was sound asleep, but apparently not sound enough that the sound of the dropped jar couldn't wake her. Groggily, she opened her eyes, and froze. Ty was there, Mischief was there, so who was in the kitchen?

She looked over, and there was a light FWOSH as she went light form, and vanished through the couch.

Ty too was asleep soundly, but the sound of the jar didn't phase him. What did, was the sudden green light as Tses went through him and the couch. Someone was in the house. Grabbing his blade out of his pants pocket, he flipped it open and hopped to his feet.

And then he was overtaken by feelings. Many many feelings: Yay, he's alive! Great, he's alive...Oh **** what does he want? Ty knew the bug wasn't just dropping to say hi, or that he was happy to see his favorite ginger alive. That wasn't really Roach's style, after all.

Walking past the bug, he poured himself a glass of orange juice and took a swig, then winced. Mmm...old OJ...

He set it on the counter, knowing his--friend? Acquaintance? Mentor? Boss? Eh, the last two-- would get the hint that he could have that too. Pulling up a chair, he grabbed a seat and looked at the figure.

"What's up?" Ty asked, not really as a greeting, but more of a 'why are you here?' sort of thing.